


Two Souls

by jsaint34



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, F/M, romanogers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-26 02:06:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18714325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jsaint34/pseuds/jsaint34
Summary: Spoilers for Avengers Endgame.  Please do not read unless you've seen the movie.  I can only speak for myself but while Endgame was an overall good movie, there are parts I was disappointed with.  I felt that there was some major character regression for one character in particular and maybe I'm the only one.  This is my take on some things I would like to imagine happened after the movie was over and I hope everyone enjoys.  As always all characters belong to Marvel and Disney, and I own nothing.  No infringement was intended on other stories on the Archive that involve Endgame and events of the movie.  Lastly, this will be my last new Steve/Natasha story for awhile as I intend to focus on the others I have yet to complete.  For Ghosts of Infinity, I'm still not sure where I'm going to go with it, and if I continue, this one shot may be worked in somehow.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [isaiah18376](https://archiveofourown.org/users/isaiah18376/gifts), [chalantness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chalantness/gifts), [Phoebe_Snow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebe_Snow/gifts), [Iridescenceofthewind](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iridescenceofthewind/gifts).



> Spoilers for Avengers Endgame. Please do not read unless you've seen the movie. I can only speak for myself but while Endgame was an overall good movie, there are parts I was disappointed with. I felt that there was some major character regression for one character in particular and maybe I'm the only one. This is my take on some things I would like to imagine happened after the movie was over and I hope everyone enjoys. As always all characters belong to Marvel and Disney, and I own nothing. No infringement was intended on other stories on the Archive that involve Endgame and events of the movie. Lastly, this will be my last new Steve/Natasha story for awhile as I intend to focus on the others I have yet to complete. For Ghosts of Infinity, I'm still not sure where I'm going to go with it, and if I continue, this one shot may be worked in somehow.

Steve Rogers feels lost.  He’s been lost before, not knowing where his life would go.  He’s a man who never met his father.  A man who watched his mother succumb to tuberculosis when he was barely into adulthood.  Four times he tried to enlist in the army only to be rejected until that one fateful day where he was offered a chance.  Looking back, he wouldn’t change anything about what his life had become.  Sure he lost Bucky; he lost Peggy only to find them both again.  One had aged and lived a good life while the other had been tortured and forced to serve as HYDRA’s most lethal assassin.  But most of all, Steve had lost his life.  It took seventy years for him to be found so he could find his best friend and his first love. 

Now he was a man out of time.  The twenty-first century was so different and he often found trouble fitting in.  Even with the Avengers, he couldn’t honestly say anything felt normal.  But there had been one constant in his life since that first battle with an alien species.  Natasha.  She had never judged him for his lack of knowledge or attempts to find his way again.  They were partnered up at S.H.I.E.L.D. and then both of their worlds came crashing down.  Steve felt that his sacrifice in the forties had been for nothing and Natasha realized that though she had thought she was going straight, the darkness still found her.

The two of them fought back, side by side as if they were always meant to be together.  They stood together; facing down the demons and hell those lives had caused them.  After the events of the Sokovia Accords and fracturing of the Avengers, they were still side by side.  Two years they spent together on the run with Sam and Wanda.  Then the inevitable happened.  Thanos came to Earth and with a snap of his fingers, the Infinity Stones wiped out half of the universe’s population.  Five years went by and the bond Steve and Nat shared only grew stronger.  While the world moved on, they seemed destined to keep fighting.  Natasha held the fort at the Avengers Compound while Steve led a group not unlike the one Sam had. 

Not long after they found a glimmer of hope in the form of Scott Lang.  Scott had been stuck in the Quantum Realm and come back with an idea of how to undo everything that had been done.  Bruce, now at peace and coexisting with his alter ego the Hulk in one body did everything he could to implement the plan of time travel.  It took a talk with Pepper to get Tony to realize he couldn’t sit back and do nothing. 

The Avengers plans to use the Quantum Realm and Pym particles to travel to the past and collect the Infinity Stones before Thanos could was not without its problems.  Acquiring the Mind Stone went off mostly without a hitch, but the Space Stone in the tesseract proved problematic as Steve and Tony had to go further back in time to retrieve it from Camp Lehigh.  Bruce had his own problems acquiring the time stone, but in the end the Ancient One agreed with a promise that it would be returned to the exact moment it was taken from.  Rhodes was able to retrieve the power stone, unknowingly leaving Nebula behind as Rocket secured the reality stone while Thor saw his mother one last time and discovered he was still worthy of Mjolnir. 

The stone that proved the most problematic of all was on Vormir.  The Soul Stone required a sacrifice.  Clint and Natasha fought each other to decide who would pay the price for the Stone.   In the end, Natasha gave her life so Clint could return to his family, knowing she’d never get to see Steve again.  Her feelings for the Super-Soldier never needed to be spoken because both had always known how they felt about the other.  But as she fell, she did wish that she had said the words to him, just once. 

When Clint came back with the stone and revealed Nat’s sacrifice, all of the team was devastated, but none more so than Steve.  He had once again lost Bucky, lost Peggy, and now he had lost Natasha.  A tear rolled down his cheek as his grief threatened to overwhelm him.  But in his heart, he knew she would want him to move forward, to continue the fight.  With the stones in the gauntlet Tony created, Bruce snapped and brought everyone that had been eliminated by Thanos back.  But their victory was not a solid one as Nebula had been replaced by her past self and brought Thanos to the future.  New York was devastated before the Avengers could fight back. 

But in those moments; Steve, Thor and Tony found their strength.  One was fighting for his wife and daughter; one was fighting for his people as a King should, as his father had done.  And Steve was fighting for them all.  Despite the overwhelming odds stacked against them, not one of the three would let Natasha’s death be in vain.  The battle quickly turned in favor of Thanos and his armies.  Thor was on the ropes, Stormbreaker far from his grasp.  As the mad Titan prepared to make the killing blow, the unthinkable happened.  Mjolnir, sitting on the field of battle rose into the air.  The words of Odin sounded out in Thor’s mind as the enchanted hammer flew into the outstretched hand of Captain America.

“I knew it!”

Once again the war was on.  But these three men were not without aid as a voice spoke in Steve’s ear.  He had trouble hearing over the sounds of battle at first, but the voice soon became clear and words from so long ago were spoken by his friend, words that Steve himself had spoken on their first meeting.

“On your left.”

Suddenly, Captain America, Iron Man and Thor had all the help they needed.  Portals opened and the dusted heroes returned.  Sam, Bucky, Wanda, T’Challa, Peter.  The Guardians of the Galaxy, the Asgardians, and with Dr. Strange and Wong, a slew of Masters of the Mystic Arts. 

“Avengers…Assemble!”

The battle cry of Steve broke the flood gates as the combined heroes went to battle with the Titan and his minions.  The underlying goal was to get Tony’s gauntlet to Scott and Hope so they could remove the stones from this timeline.  The effort was there, but so was the danger.  Captain Marvel’s arrival did nothing to stem the chaos around her, though she too attempted to get the gauntlet to Scott.  Even with the help of Valkyrie, Gamora, Nebula, Wanda, Pepper and Okoye, Thanos was relentless.  Once again the tide of battle turned and Thanos came in to possession of the gauntlet and the stones. 

On the verge of another loss, the heroes watched in fear as Thanos was again prepared to snap, but all life would end this time.  Only a last ditch effort from Tony stopped the villain from once again accomplishing his goal.

“I am inevitable.”

Thanos snapped his fingers only for nothing to happen.  Turning his hand, he saw that the stones were missing and looked on as Tony’s nanotech armor was forming his own Infinity Gauntlet.  The power started to burn the hero as no human was ever meant to wield the power of the combined six.  But Tony would not be deterred. The fate of his wife and daughter were on the line, the fate of the universe was on the line.  This was his moment to lay down on the wire.

“I am Iron Man.”

Tony snapped and the battle ceased as first Thanos’ armies began turning to dust.  Finally after what seemed like hours but was only minutes, so too did the Titan.  The Avengers had won, but it had cost them more than they had thought.  Natasha and Tony had given their lives for this victory, and they would be remembered as heroes.

Days later a funeral was held for Tony where everyone who had fought this battle paid their respects.  Also in attendance were some of those who had been brought back.  Hank and Janet Pym, Hope, Harley Keener, Maria Hill, and Nick Fury.  After the assembled departed, the remaining Avengers held a private memorial in Natasha’s honor.  Everyone spoke, remembering something about her and how she had changed their lives in one way or another.  Clint went and then Steve, but the latter could barely find the words.  All of the team had suspected there was more to Steve and Natasha than the pair had let on, so no one could blame him for how difficult this was.  More days passed as they all knew that the stones still had to be returned to the times they were taken from.  Who was to go was settled when Steve stepped up, seemingly having regained his resolve and volunteered.  As Mjolnir also had to be returned and Thor had left with the Guardians, he was the only one worthy enough to lift the hammer so the mission fell to him.

Bruce, Bucky and Sam were the only ones there to witness as Steve undertook this one last mission.  Given that three stones had been in New York in 2012, this was his first stop.  His next stop was Asgard; he was the first mortal since Jane Foster to set eyes on the Realm Eternal.  From the seventies and Camp Lehigh to 2014 and Morag, the task was nearly complete.  Five stones had been returned and only one was left.  If asked, Steve would never be able to explain why he chose the order he did.  Tony would say that it was because he wanted to hold onto Natasha as long as he could.  Bucky would tell him it was because he was still the skinny little punk under Captain America who had always had trouble with women.  The truth was possibly somewhere in between.

As Steve climbed up the dark foreboding mountain, his feet grew heavy and his breathing labored as if he had never gotten over the asthma that plagued him so long ago.  His end goal was in sight as he concealed himself behind a pillar as he heard the words of the Red Skull and the fight between Clint and Natasha that led her to words.

“Clint, please let me go.”

There was no scream that Steve could hear over the howling winds.  He had wondered what he would hear as Natasha fell, what Clint had heard, but the silence except for the wind was worse than what he had expected.  For a moment, he considered keeping the stone, not letting it go.  But in his heart, Steve didn’t believe in fate as much as he believed in his own faith.  A soul for a soul, Clint had said.  After the battle ended, and Clint was gone, the silence became more intense.  Slowly, cautiously, Steve stepped forth to the edge of the mountain.  He had expected Schmidt to be there, but there was nothing and he was alone.

The stone pulsed in his hand as if it was a heartbeat.  Looking over the edge, Steve expected to see Natasha’s broken body, his fear keeping him from looking all the way.  When he completed his downward gaze, he saw nothing.  In that moment, he fell to his knees, his heart shattering in two as he now knew he would never get to say good-bye.  With a scream of silent rage, he threw the stone with all of his might, watching it disappear into the nothingness below him.  With the task complete, he stood and walked away.  Activating the Pym Particles and his Quantum Realm device, he disappeared further into the past.

Natasha awoke in a pool of shallow water, heaving breaths escaping her throat as she surveyed her surroundings.  The horizon was tinted orange as if the last remnants of sunset were emanating from the sky just for her.  Her memories were foggy at first but soon returned.  She remembered fighting Clint, and asking him to let her go.  She could remember the wind rushing past her ears as she fell, and then nothing.  She couldn’t even say she remembered feeling the impact. 

As she slowly stood up, her instincts were telling her she wasn’t alone.  She could feel an otherworldly presence watching her and she turned, trying to locate the source but found nothing.  Her heart was beating rapidly as another presence filled her senses and in the back of her mind heard a scream of rage, and she knew the voice.  It was Steve, he had been to Vormir.  But she couldn’t find him when she looked around either.  Focusing her mind, she thought that if this was heaven, it wasn’t what she expected.

Finally the spy started to walk, but there was only orange mist and the shallow waters for miles.  Upon feeling her wrist she realized she still had her quantum travel device and enough Pym Particles for the trip back, but when she activated it, nothing happened.  Fearing that she’d be stuck here forever, she fell to her knees and then she heard the voice.

“The sacrifice has been made.  A soul for a soul.”

With her senses on high alert, Natasha once again looked around to find the speaker, but could see nothing.  Chalking it up to hallucinations after dying, Natasha shook her head, hoping to clear her thoughts when the voice spoke again. 

“A soul for a soul.  You are free, Natasha Romanoff.”

Hearing her name, spurred Natasha into action.  She stood up, green eyes blazing as she raised her arm to fire off her Widow’s bite.  The electricity burst forth, but hit nothing.

“Who are you?  Where are you?”

“I am all around you Natasha.  You just need to open your heart and you will see me.”

Natasha shook her head again, and slowed her breathing.  There was clearly someone in this world with her and if she focused, she would find them.  She knew what she had to do and focused on the reason she had sacrificed herself, the Avengers, but more importantly; Steve.    After a few blinks of her eyes, she saw an image appear before her.  Bathed in the orange glow, the form was that of a woman with features similar to her own. 

“I know you?”                 

“You know who I resemble Natasha.  My form is taken from your memories.  Think back to your youth and the answer will come.”

As Natasha processed everything, the answer hit her.  This strange almost ethereal form in front of her looked like her mother in happier times.  Before she died in the fire that left the young Natalia Romanova an orphan.

“Yes…your soul sees me from the point of view of a child, longing for her lost family.”

“Where am I?  If my soul is free, why can’t I leave?”

“Because you have not yet decided where you want to go.  As for where you are, you are in my world.  This is the Soul World.  I am the avatar of the Soul Stone.”

“You’re telling me that the Infinity Stones are sentient?”

“All of us are.  And we appear as guides to those who find themselves in our worlds.”

“So I have to decide where I want to go?  Aren’t I kind of dead on Vormir?”

“You were, but the sacrifice has been made.  I have been returned to Vormir and the exchange has been made.  He loves you, he came here for you.  He returned me to try and get you back.”

“The keeper…he said the exchange was permanent.  Schmidt said that the one who sacrifices themselves can never go back.”

“Yes…a soul must be sacrificed to gain me, but one pure of heart who rejects the stone has the power to bring the sacrificial lamb back.  He did this for you.”

“Who?  Who loves me enough to give up his own soul…?”

“I never said he gave up his soul.  He gave me back to save you.  You know of whom I speak.”

“Steve…”

“Go to him Natasha.  Leave the Soul World and earn your redemption.  Find and earn the man you love.”

“How?  You said I haven’t yet decided where I…?”

A smile appeared on the face of the Soul Stone avatar and Natasha knew where she wanted to go.  She wanted to find Steve, and tell him what she had been holding back all these years.  She wanted to confess her feelings.  When she looked down at her wrist the Pym Particles were churning in their vial and she activated her Quantum Realm suit before pressing the button.  In instants, Natasha was traveling through the Quantum tunnel, following Steve’s signature. 

When she landed, she was on her knees in a grassy field, with nothing around for miles.  For a moment, she thought she had missed the jump point, but soon felt her heart beating rapidly.  Though she was no longer in the Soul World, she could still hear the stone’s voice. 

“You and Steve are linked soul to soul now, Natasha.  Follow your heart and you will find him.”

Closing her eyes, Natasha could feel Steve’s presence in her heart.  She knew he had been here just recently.  It wasn’t New York in 2012, but she could tell, this was outside of Camp Lehigh in the late forties.  Suddenly she felt like an intruder.  If Steve had come here, he was going back to the life he lost when he stopped the Red Skull.  She thought he was going back to Peggy.  Feeling like a fool, Natasha tried to activate her suit again, but the Pym Particles were unresponsive.  Knowing that she couldn’t stay near the base long, she dashed into the woods to hide. She made it just in time as voices sounded out walking just past where she had been standing moments before.

“Captain America is gone, but we have to hope that he didn’t die.”

“So what do you want to do Colonel Phillips?”

“We declare him missing in action.  Stark has spent the last three years searching for him.  We all have.”

When the men had walked by, Natasha felt a tug in her soul.  It was gentle at first, almost a tickle.  Soon enough the tug became a pull, and she knew it was leading her somewhere.  Once again following her instincts, she found an abandoned car on the side of the road.  She was lucky that the keys were still in the ignition and the vehicle started up after a few tries.  With only the pull at her soul to follow, she drove into New York, and it was so different from the city she knew.  The Empire State building looked like it had been completed only a few years prior and Stark Tower was nowhere in sight.  Finally the tug got stronger as night was falling and it led her to the Stork Club in Manhattan. 

Inside the club, Steve was having his long missed dance with Peggy.  To avoid the possibility of someone recognizing him, he wore a plain black suit and a pair of glasses to conceal his identity. Only Peggy knew the truth as he sought her out and while not sure she would believe him, explained the situation.  She had taken his story and after everything they had been a part of accepted it easily.  Just as the dance was ending, Steve felt a tug at his soul.  His eyes went wide with shock and his breathing quickened along with his heartbeat.  As he looked around, he knew he could feel her presence but she was nowhere to be seen.  He snapped back to reality as Peggy placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Steve…what is it?”

“I-I don’t know Peg.  I felt something…someone but she’s…she’s…”

“Let’s get out of here.  I’ve got to keep you safe until we figure this out and you go back home.”

Peggy led Steve out of the club and past the car Natasha was sitting in.  The redhead only caught a brief glimpse of Steve as the two walked past.  He had an arm around Peggy’s shoulders and she had one around his waist.  With that glance Natasha thought the Soul Stone had lied to her.  Steve looked happy, and she ignored how well she knew that appearances could be deceiving.

Back at Peggy’s apartment, she sat Steve down on her couch before bringing him a glass of water.  His nerves had yet to calm and he could still feel as if she was right there with him.  With Peggy kneeling in front of him, he could only see Natasha.

“Steve…tell me what’s wrong.  I can’t help if you don’t let me.”

I don’t know if you can help me Peggy.  I think after everything I’ve experienced I’m…I’m losing it.  Natasha’s dead…I know it.  But I can’t shake the feeling that she’s here…in the forties…”

“No one’s ever really gone Steve.  You loved her…she’ll always be with you…”

“This isn’t just my memories of her Peggy…this felt so real…like our souls are connected somehow…like she’s physically here…but that has to be impossible…”

“Why?  Why does it have to be impossible?”

“Because what’s done can’t be undone.  A soul for a soul.  The exchange was irreversible.”

Steve buried his head in his hands and couldn’t speak anymore.  He could feel Natasha somewhere close by and his faith was being severely tested in this moment.  With her hand still on his knee, Peggy looked over to her clock and noticed it was well past midnight.  Getting up, she looked to Steve and knew he wouldn’t find the release of sleep so instead of moving off to her bedroom, she sat down on the couch beside him.

“Don’t worry Steve, I won’t go anywhere.  In the morning I promise, we’ll figure this out.”

Natasha had followed Peggy and Steve back to the former’s apartment at a safe distance so as not to be seen.  She knew from Steve’s stories that Peggy Carter had been very good at her job and would have spotted a tail in minutes.  Fortunately, Natasha was just as good and knew how to avoid detection.  She remained in the car all night, sleep eluding her as she knew it was eluding Steve.  The connection they now had because of the Soul Stone wouldn’t let her go until she saw him again.

When morning came, Steve looked worse than the night before though Peggy had fallen asleep beside him.  Not wanting to wake her, he quickly and quietly slipped out the door to go for a morning walk.  As he left the building, Natasha’s presence hit him again and he knew now that he was going crazy.  He didn’t realize it but he walked right past her car and down the street, hoping to find some peace. 

Natasha had dozed off in the early morning hours as her bond with Steve briefly settled, but she was jolted awake when she felt his presence walking past her.  With a quick change of clothes she had found in the car, she rushed after him.  She couldn’t tell where he was going, but he walked all the way from Manhattan to Brooklyn and finally stopped on the Brooklyn Bridge.  It was early enough that there was very little traffic and even fewer pedestrians out that morning.  Natasha could feel his soul calling to hers, but she wasn’t sure what he was going to do. 

As she approached, still trying to keep her distance, she could see him leaning against the railing looking out at the sunrise.  For a few moments, she just stood there watching him.  His shoulders were squared, the tension in his posture evident.  Fearing that he would jump, she slowly began walking forward again. 

She knew how much he had lost in his life and knew once she had left Soul World that losing her had been his biggest regret in a long line of them.  With every step, her heart began beating wildly until she felt like it would burst out of her chest.  In front of her, she could tell Steve was feeling the exact same way as he fell to his knees, anguish on his face and a scream on his lips, her name.

“NATASHA!”

In that same moment, Natasha fell to her knees as well.  Her tears started falling like the snow in Russia.  Wrapping her arms tightly around her, she felt the cold of Vormir again as if she was still on the planet.  This was the moment that Steve looked over, his blue eyes falling directly on the redhead kneeling thirty feet from him.  His protective instincts kicked in at the moment and he took several painful steps towards the anguished woman.  With every step closer, he found himself daring to hope as her soul was calling out to him, but his faith was still shaken and he couldn’t let himself believe this was real.

As soon as Steve fell to his knees in front of her, the redhead looked up, her green eyes meeting his blue ones.  An unbelievable peace took hold of both of them in that instant as two tentative hands reached out.  Steve’s hand was up as hers pressed up against his and she interlaced their fingers.  Suddenly, their souls went quiet and a spark of electricity passed between them.

“Natasha…”

“Steve…”

“You…you can’t be…this has to be…”

“This is real Steve.  I’m right here with you.”

Tears flooded Steve’s eyes as he let go of Natasha’s hand and pulled her into a near bone crushing hug.  The feel of his hug would have hurt her if she hadn’t reciprocated and wrapped her arms around him.  They stayed like this, just holding one another as if letting go meant one of them would disappear.  When it was clear that this eventuality wouldn’t happen, they both let go, giving them the chance to share the kiss they had both always wanted to without the threat of HYDRA looking for them like back on the escalator.  When they broke for air, Natasha’s question didn’t surprise Steve in the slightest.

“Where do we go from here?”                   

“Wherever we want.  We have our whole lives ahead of us…”

“You know we might be stuck here…I don’t think we have enough Pym Particles to get us home…mine kind of…”

Steve started to laugh, thus confusing Natasha as she wondered what he was thinking and started to get angry when his laughter didn’t cease.

“Come on Rogers; I was being serious.  I highly doubt that we can get home.”

“Well, we don’t have to unless you really want to.  But I have two more vials of Pym Particles.  It’ll be just enough to take us wherever you want to go.”

Natasha smiled as Steve showed her the vials and knew they had a chance to live where or whenever they wanted to.  The thought of going home was tempting, she missed her little rag tag family, even Tony.  Steve had yet to tell her about Tony’s sacrifice and he would, but right now he didn’t want anything to spoil the moment.

“Well Captain Rogers, I think we should go on the adventure of a life time.”

“There’s nothing I’d like more than that, Agent Romanoff.  But I have some things I should tell you first, and there’s someone I really want you to meet.”

Natasha was curious as to whom Steve could want her to meet in this timeline but she trusted his judgement and let him drive the car towards their destination.  Along the way he told her of the final battle, how he had been worthy of Mjolnir and the return of all their friends who had been dusted in the snap.  She was hurt to learn of Tony’s sacrifice and felt grief for Pepper and Morgan, and even though she and the billionaire didn’t always get along, she was going to miss him.

 When they finally reached Manhattan, Peggy was standing out front of her apartment, looking everywhere for Steve.  There was a fury in her stance and a frown on her face that spoke of her anger as she thought he left without saying good-bye.  But when the car pulled up and he stepped out, she was slightly relieved that he was still there, and mystified at the redhead who joined him on the sidewalk.

“Peggy, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.  Don’t ask me to explain how it happened because I have no idea.  I told you I could feel her soul calling to me and I was right…”

“Steve…you’re rambling.  Just introduce me to her already.”

“Right…sorry…Agent Peggy Carter…I want you to meet Agent Natasha Romanoff.”

Natasha was awestruck, she had heard of Peggy Carter in her years at S.H.I.E.L.D. and how she was the first Director.  She was a legend and standing there face to face with the woman, she remembered the picture from Camp Lehigh in 2014.  She almost didn’t know what to say.

“Agent Carter…I…I want you to know…”

“Please Agent Romanoff, call me Peggy.  Steve spoke so highly of you, I feel like I already know you.”

“I’ll call you Peggy…only if you call me Natasha.”

Steve could only watch as Natasha and Peggy instantly bonded.  For a moment he was worried that they would start trading embarrassing stories about him, but thankfully nothing was revealed by either woman.  When the time finally came to say good-bye, Peggy hugged both of them and was grateful Steve had finally found his right partner.  Before they could leave after activating their Quantum suits, Peggy pulled Natasha aside for one last word, Agent to Agent.

“Natasha…don’t let him do anything stupid.  And take care of him for me.”

“I will take care of him.  But you know Steve…trying to keep him from doing something stupid is like trying to tell the sun not to shine.”

Peggy laughed as Steve and Natasha made the jump to the Quantum Realm.  Somehow she knew that this wasn’t the last time she’d see them.  But that would be a story for the future.  Bruce was counting down as he, Bucky and Sam waited for Steve to come back.  There was a quick flash of light as Steve fell off the platform and Bruce was just about to deactivate the system when Steve pulled his arm away.

“Wait Bruce…don’t…not yet…”

“Steve, you know we have to disable this thing.  Can’t let the tech get into the wrong hands.”

“Just wait…she’s not back yet.”

Bruce, Bucky and Sam all exchanged uneasy glances as they processed what Steve had said.  He had found someone and brought her with him to this timeline, they all worried what the repercussions of that would be but were thrown back as another flash of light exploded from the platform and a female figure was kneeling just where Steve had been moments prior.

“Steve…who…what…”

“Can’t explain it…won’t even try…I saved her.  She’s back.”

“Who?”

As the four looked on, the woman on the platform slowly stood up, her helmet retracting as she looked at her family.  Her red hair no longer had the blonde tips and all but Steve fainted at seeing her.

“Guess I should have been more careful about the jump.  I didn’t realize, Bruce, Bucky and Sam were such lightweights considering all we’ve been through together.”

Natasha let her trademark smirk shine through as Steve laughed at how much he had missed her sense of humor.  Eventually, the trio of heroes came to and all were glad Natasha was back.  Bruce had the most questions because the Ancient One had told him that when it comes to the Infinity Stones, nothing was certain except the exchange for the Soul Stone.  While she explained the little she knew and about the sentience of the Soul Stone, Steve was with Bucky and Sam, making a choice.

“So what’s next Steve?”

“Nat and I have a second chance at life, a chance at happiness.  Maybe I can live without the war.  But the world still needs the Avengers.  I want you two to stay with the team.  One of you has to…”

“No, and I think Sam will agree with me.  You’re Captain America.  I’ll stay punk, but I can’t take your place.”

“Bucky’s right Steve, you’re Captain America.”

“Somehow I always will be.  But I want you to take my shield.  Use it to inspire the next generation of Avengers.  And if you ever need us, we’ll be there.”

Steve and Natasha walked off for one last destination.  She had to see Clint, Laura and the kids.  She knew that her best friend would be pissed about her choice back on the planet, but would forgive her in time.  After that, she and Steve were going retire to a nice place in Brooklyn, and make the most of the chance that fate and his faith have given to them.  They’d shared so many adventures as Captain America and Black Widow, now was the time for Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff to have an adventure of their own.


	2. Author's Notes

When I posted this story three days ago, I had no idea how positive a response it would get and I am beyond grateful to everyone who has read, left kudos and taken the time to comment. It's good to know that I'm not alone in feeling like Steve's ending character arc could have been done so much better as it seemed in my opinion to diminish his character growth throughout the entire first three phases of the MCU. More importantly I also feel like his return of the soul stone should have been able to reverse the sacrifice Natasha made on Vormir. A soul for a soul should be able to work both ways, I respect the writers and directors for raising the stakes that way, but leaving her dead still felt off to me. After Steve had already once before sacrificed his life in the MCU, it would make sense to me that the soul stone itself would( if sentient as I made it to be in this story, and as it is in the comics), recognize that and choose to free the sacrificed. Maybe that's just me, but all of it comes down to worthiness as when Steve lifted Mjolnir. But I digress, the real reason I'm posting this chapter of notes is that while I am going to leave this story as my last new Romanogers for a while, I had an idea of where Steve and Nat went with their lives after the fact. Goes something like this:

 

Steve and Nat settle down in Brooklyn, just living their lives.  The Avengers keep saving the world from threats, calling on the two retired heroes when the situation is dire enough to need Steve's tactical mind and Nat's espionage skills.  After a year or so, Steve proposes to Nat, (obvious, I know) and they get married at Tony and Pepper's cabin.  A small ceremony with only the team in attendance and Fury and Hill.  The wedding goes off completely uninterrupted(lucky for the Avengers), but also because Carol, Thor, and The Guardians repel the threats before they cause problems.  Eventually Nat gets pregnant with a son, James Clinton Samuel Rogers(sorry if anyone has used the name before, but it works).  Everything would be a happy ending until the next threat arrives and if I was to write this the villain would most likely be Kang the Conqueror.  

Once again, thanks to all of you on the Archive for your support and response to this story.  

**Author's Note:**

> For this story I pulled from the comics a little bit in regards to the Infinity Stones. In the limited series Infinity Crusade we learned that the Soul Stone was sentient after Adam Warlock was put into a coma by his counterpart the Goddess. I like the idea of the stones being sentient and ran with it for this narrative. Once again, I hope everyone enjoyed my take on the story and please feel free to leave comments on what you liked or didn't, but as always, I ask that you remain respectful. Constructive feedback is always appreciated as it helps me improve.


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